A fabricated substrate has at least one plurality of posts. The plurality is fabricated such that the two posts are located at a predetermined distance from one another. The substrate is exposed to a fluid matrix containing functionalized carbon nanotubes. The functionalized carbon nanotubes preferentially adhere to the plurality of posts rather than the remainder of the substrate. A connection between posts of the at least one plurality of posts is induced by adhering one end of the functionalized nanotube to one post and a second end of the functionalized carbon nanotube to a second post.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A system for assembling carbon nanotube electronics, the system comprising: a substrate, wherein the substrate has at least one plurality of posts, the at least one plurality of posts being fabricated at a predetermined distance from one another; a fluid matrix containing functionalized carbon nanotubes, wherein the functionalized carbon nanotubes comprise a first end, a middle, and a second end, wherein the first end and the second end have a relative concentration of functional groups different from that of the middle such that the functionalized carbon nanotubes exhibit relative electrical charges at the first end and the second end; an agitation source, wherein providing agitation of the fluid matrix to preferentially adhere the first end of a functionalized carbon nanotube to a first one of the at least one plurality of posts and adheres the second end of the functionalized carbon nanotube to a second one of the at least one plurality of posts due to the relative electrical charges at the first end and the second end, wherein a connection is formed between the first one and the second one of the at least one plurality of posts.
2. The system of claim 1 further comprising: the fluid matrix containing the functionalized carbon nanotubes, wherein the fluid matrix contains the functionalized carbon nanotubes having similar lengths and similar chiralities.
3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the similar lengths of the functionalized carbon nanotubes are selected to correspond to the predetermined distance between the first one and the second one of the at least one plurality of posts.
4. The system of claim 2 , wherein the similar lengths of the functionalized carbon nanotubes are selected from the group consisting of 80+/−1 nanometers, 100+/−1 nanometers, and 120+/−1 nanometers.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the similar chiralities of the functionalized carbon nanotubes are selected based on desired electrical properties of the functionalized carbon nanotubes.
6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the desired electrical properties of the functionalized carbon nanotubes is a conductance of the functionalized carbon nanotubes.
7. The system of claim 5 , wherein each of the functionalized carbon nanotubes have similar or identical chiral vectors.
8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the fluid matrix is an aqueous matrix.
9. The system of claim 1 further comprising: the agitation source, wherein the agitation source agitates the fluid matrix to induce removal of functionalized carbon nanotubes that may have adhered to the first one and the second one of the at least one plurality of posts along a shaft of the functionalized carbon nanotubes.
10. The system of claim 1 further comprising: the agitation source, wherein the agitation source agitates the fluid matrix to impart motion to distal ends of functionalized carbon nanotubes that have adhered to one of, but not yet the other of, the first one and the second one of the at least one plurality of posts.
11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the functionalized carbon nanotubes comprise carboxylic acid functional groups.
12. The system of claim 1 further comprising: a heat source, wherein the heat source anneals the substrate to remove functional groups from the functionalized carbon nanotubes.
13. The system of claim 12 further comprising: the heat source, wherein the heat source anneals the substrate to remove functional groups from the first one and the second one of the at least one plurality of posts.
14. The system of claim 1 further comprising: an electrically insulating material, wherein the electrically insulating material comprises a coating applied to the substrate.
15. The system of claim 13 , wherein the electrically insulating material comprises a layer of photosensitive resin applied to cover the connection formed between the first one and the second one of the at least one plurality of posts.
16. The system of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a printed circuit board.
17. The system of claim 1 , wherein the functionalized carbon nanotubes are selected from the group consisting of open ended carbon nanotubes and capped carbon nanotubes.
18. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first one and the second one of the at least one plurality of posts are functionalized prior to immersion in the fluid matrix.
19. The system of claim 1 , wherein the connection formed by the functionalized carbon nanotube spans a linear distance between the first one and the second one of the at least one plurality of posts.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
August 6, 2015
March 29, 2016
Browse 5M+ US patents with plain-English claim translations and AI-generated analysis.